Connect with TRB

Revisiting the Use of Traveler Information to Induce Mode Shifts

The goal of this research is to revisit the interaction between traveler information and users in light of recent technological and scientific developments, and to discover whether it is possible to use this information to influence mode choice. Web and GPS-enabled smartphones have not only become an increasingly important delivery channel for travel information, they have also changed the nature, accuracy and personalization of information that can be distributed to and collected from travelers. Moreover, advances in behavioral economics have given researchers new insights into decision factors in mode and route choice which were previously not recognized. Research at the University of California (UC) Berkeley has shown that there is significant potential for personalized information on environmental and healthy impacts of a person's choices to create mode shifts, but so far it has not been possible to verify these findings in a complex, real-life setting. This project will make use of an innovative traveler information system developed at UC Berkeley that has already found widespread use and that will allow the collection of travel data from participating individuals. Using these data, the research team will estimate discrete choice models explaining the observed behavior, offering a new perspective on the value of personalized traveler information.

Language

English

Project

Status: Completed

Contract Numbers:

15833JEWA2

Sponsor Organizations:

California Department of Transportation

1227 O StreetSacramento, CA
United States
95843

Department of Transportation

Research and Special Programs Administration1200 New Jersey Avenue, SEWashington, DC
20590